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“Yep, so I wanted to let you know in case that triggered anything from either of you?”
“No,” Zoey replies, shaking her head. “I had no idea.”
“Me either,” I reply, taking a deep breath before continuing. “What about Cameron? Did you…did you find anything on him?”
“Nothing yet,” Detective Simmons says as I let out a breath. “But we’re still looking into all of this, so continue to be vigilant and careful,” he adds. “And let me know if anything changes.”
I nod, glancing at the alarm panel by the door just to check it really is armed. “We will. Thanks for calling, Detective.”
“No problem, have a good night.”
We end the call, our earlier bliss now shattered by this new revelation.
CHAPTER18
ZOEY
“You asked the detective to look into Cameron?” I say, trying to keep the fear out of my question. I thought this was someone Ethan trusted, but now he’s accusing him of being involved. I never would have suspected Cameron and now Ethan’s comment to Detective Simmons has my mind a jumbled mess of past thoughts and interactions.
I don’t know Cameron like Ethan does, and my interactions with him have been minimal, but I’ve never felt unsafe around him. This may be because I trust Ethan, trust him with my whole heart and so I never noticed anything off about Cameron.
But now I’m looking back on any conversations we’ve had, on what happened to me, wondering if he could have had anything to do with it. He knew about the interview I did, and I’m certain he saw the social media post regarding it. My head begins to swim with everything that happened with my abduction, replaying everything my abductor said to me, everything that happened in the lead up to it all.
“I did, Zoey. I have no idea if he had anything to do with it. I’d like to believe I’m wrong since Cameron has been with me for a while now, but I just can’t trust anyone at this point. Your safety is my top priority.”
Ethan’s words are harsh and angry, and I understand it. His safety, his home and the person that he loves have all been violated. He no longer knows who to trust or who to believe. Cameron knows everything about him, including the private details that no one else is privy to, so as much as I don’t want to believe it, I understand Ethan’s concern.
“It wasn’t him who was at that motel with me,” I hear myself say, not knowing where it’s coming from, but something about the way the words leave my mouth, tell me I’m certain.
“How do you know?” Ethan responds, turning to look at me, his eyes intense as he scans my face.
“It wasn’t his voice,” I reply, shaking my head. “It wasn’t him, but I guess he could have been the one who knocked me out.” As soon as I say it, I notice a change in Ethan, like he’s reliving it all. His jaw is clenched and I watch as he takes in a hard breath.
Moving closer to him, I rest a hand on his chest, feeling his heart racing under my palm. I hate that our life has become this constant state of high alert, of the fear that this person is lurking just around the corner.
“The guy held me at the motel called me princess and local heiress, like he knows I come from money. I memorized the way it sounded when the words left his mouth. It wasn’t Cameron.”
I’m not trying to make Ethan second guess his decision to tell the detective to look into Cameron. We have to cover all our bases, and if that means looking into Cameron, then the detective has to do it. With how close he works with Ethan, I guess there’s a possibility.
“Would he have any reason to be angry with you?” I now ask, trying to piece this all together in my head.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Ethan says, tugging a hand through his hair as he wraps his other arm around my waist. “I have money, Zoey and so does your family. People will do strange things when it comes to money.”
I nod against his chest, my cheek resting there, listening to the beat of his heart. The words leave my mouth before I have time to stop them, and I hate the way they sound.
“This wouldn’t be happening if we weren’t together.” My heart feels like it might shatter into a million pieces at the idea of us not being together. I can’t imagine my life without Ethan. He’s the first person who I’ve ever been with who sees my potential, who encourages me, and who has stood by me no matter what. The thought of losing him makes me feel like my life would be over.
“Zoey,” Ethan chides, my name a clipped word on his tongue as he pulls me away from him, taking my face in his hands. “You are my everything.” I take in his face, his eyes welling with tears and I swallow back the choking sob that wants to escape.
“You are mine,” I tell him, running my thumb over the tear that has slipped down his cheek.
“Then we aren’t going to talk about not being together. We’re going to talk about getting through this together.”
I find myself nodding again as Ethan leans down and presses his lips softly against mine. “I love you,” I whisper against his mouth, a gentle caress of his breath peppering my skin.
“I love you more than I can even express.”
As we’re standing in the kitchen holding each other, Ethan’s phone chimes out and we both instantly look over at it. Brandon’s name appears on the screen, and we both let out a heavy sigh of relief. He’s the one person neither of us have even considered being a part of this and it feels good to have that safety and comfort with a person.
